1st Timers again..1 week to go! Getting toutes nervous...LOL...

Rick's advice on question number one: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/vat-refunds and the VAT rates by country are here: https://www.ricksteves.com/travel-tips/money/vat-rates-in-europe

If you haven't read the advice about money and currency (the entire section), you might want to do this before your trip.

I cannot help you with query number two, sorry, but hope others here can. You might also post on the relevant forum over on Trip Advisor as they seem to get more traffic, so you might get a faster response. A quick look on the Internet suggests that there is, or was, a bus on this route (bus route number 127) but perhaps that is no longer in service, or not available for your dates?

Hope you have a great trip.

It's called a VAT (Value-Added Tax), your purchase must be over a specific amount. I have never used this, but I know some shops will handle it for you.

How are you getting to your lodging in Chianti? Perhaps the property owners/managers can help you figure this out, just email them. (Keep in mind that a taxi to/from an out-of-the-way place will charge you for the empty ride to their base, or wait for you for a roundtrip fare which includes a fee for waiting.)

There does seem to be a bus. The schedule I've linked to is for workdays (probably including Saturday, but verify locally) going toward Siena. There seems to be no service on Sundays. You can use this webpage to check the schedule for return buses.

Always verify bus schedules locally. Sometimes information on the internet is not up to date.

wow thanks all you guys for replying dont know what we would do without this forum and all the nice people in it!! We actually cannot take a bus easily as my husband is disabled and walks with crutches, sorry I guess I should have included that detail. Duh me.

This is why we need direct pick up and drop off points (Taxi)

Reallybusy. Italian for VAT is IVA (Imposta sul valore aggiunto). You pay VAT/IVA on all goods and services (including restaurant meals and hotels). But any goods which are exported can claim the VAT back.

• The goods have to be exported intact.
• The shop gives you a form for the customs. When you leave the EU, you go to the customs and they stamp the form to certify the goods left the EU. You must have the goods on you at this time as the customs may ask to see them.
• The customs does not pay you. The form authorises the shop not to have to pay tax on the goods, they can then refund you the tax (less a handling charge).
• Sometimes there is an agent at the airport who does the refund, otherwise you send the form back to the shop and they refund your credit card.
• If the refund is slow or never happens, you have no recourse other than going back to the shop - not practical.
• Note, you get the form stamped by customs when you leave the EU, not necessarily when you leave Italy.

Do some internet searches, both on this forum and in general. There is lots of info around.

Edit: You must be resident outside the EU, I assume you are.

Sometimes the shop can handle it for you. Some years ago we bought some pottery in Positano. The vendor packed it up beautifully, shipped it for us, and deducted the amount of the VAT from the total. It arrived safely, not even a crack or a chip.

Do read the information someone here gave you a link to very carefully. In one of Rick's examples, if you buy a pair of, for example, expensive shoes, you'd better not be wearing them when you try to claim your VAT refund! Either ship them or have them with you, but obviously unused.

Buon viaggio! And quit worrying. You're going to have a wonderful time.

To add to Jane's comment. If they ship it direct (out of the EU), they don't have to pay VAT, so they can charge yout the price without tax. This is the same as any company exporting goods.
You can claim back VAT on purchase in any EU country, so long as the goods leave the EU intact and unused, and the shop is prepared to do the paperwork. The VAT rate varies from country to country.

Can you drive a car? If so you should rent one.

Gaiole is a small village in the middle of the countryside between Florence and Siena. There are no taxi cabs based there. They will probably have to come from far away, hence the outrageous prices. How were you planning to get in and out of there, and to take day trips, without a rental car?

Those types of locations generally require to have a car, in your case in particular since you can't easily use buses.

we are getting there via private transfer (Perillo Tours)...yes hubby drives with hand controls but they are far and few between in Italia and he does not want to drive unfamiliar roads etc...even though he drives inNYC everyday for work...go figure...LOL I guess he wants to be on vacation fromEVERYTHING...hehehe

P.S. I just read the minimum for VAT is 155 euros before a shop will give you a certif...and did I read this right? the VAT is 22%?HOLY COW...and I thought the taxes in Jersey were bad...LOL... does that mean you are charged 22% tax on EVERYTHING you buy? a meal? at the supermercato? on ceramics? on gold from Florence? any info helps us, thanks in advance

Really Busy, yes 22% is correct. According to Wikipedia the exemptions are: "standard rate of 22%. Reduced VAT rates apply at 10% for pharmaceuticals, passenger transport, admission to cultural and entertainment events, hotels, restaurants and 4% on foodstuffs, medical and books.".
And yes, you pay it on all goods and services, including restaurants, hotels, and plumbers, car hire etc. etc.

I am not sure about the refund threshold. If this website claims €155 for Italy I would have to believe them. I know it is low in Germany, you can claim back VAT on supermarket shopping, but in France the threshold is higher and you cannot claim for a supermarket shop.

Holy cow, thanks Chris...22% OMG!!! Maybe I will just trust them and ask to ship stuff home...wow I had no idea. We're gonna be eating out a lot I guess that is 10%

does that mean you are charged 22% tax on EVERYTHING you buy? a meal? at the supermercato? on ceramics? on gold from Florence?

Yes, but don't panic.

You won't ever see the IVA unless you are claiming the money back when leaving. It is all included in price you see.

In NYC, am I right that you pay the taxes on top of the sales price? Something costs $100 so you pay $100 plus New York sales tax plus NYC sales tax plus a tip?

So - I don't know the tax rates so I'll guess 7% and 3%, so a meal could cost $110.21? Plus a 20% tip? So that bill is now £132?

In Italy the tax is included in the price of the item, so a €100 meal costs €100. Plus a couple of euro, maybe as much as €5 because tipping isn't really done, but rounding up or for a larger bill a couple or so Euro is fine.

So which system is more shocking?

WOW really Nigel, the VAT is included in the price of a meal? oh thanks for clarifying this I was panicking,,,,a professor of mine once said "If you go to Europe, bring twice as much money as you think you will need"...LOL now I can see why...hahaha

and yeah, you are right. here in NJ it's $100 meal plus 7%tax then on top of that we always give a 20%tip.... wow

Really Busy, I am surprised you thought the price would not include VAT. All prices, by law, have to include everything. The price it says is the price you pay, whether in a shop or a restaurant. If it says €14.90 on the menu outside a restaurant or in a shop, you hand over €15 and wait for the change. Anything else is fraudulent advertising.

Picking a small isolated town without a car may not have been an ideal choice.

The good news is there is bus service. See https://www.rome2rio.com/it/s/Siena/Gaiole-in-Chianti The bad news is that buses in Italy are really for locals such as kids going to school or people going to work/shopping. The schedules have numerous exceptions for holidays, day of the week, etc. It can be hard for a non-local to figure out when they are running. Unless you speak Italian you may not do much better once in Gaiole; online they have same info for the commune but it doesn't say anything about a staffed tourist office, not surprising for a town of less than 3,000. Your best bet may be asking the staff where you are staying to check the bus schedule for you. All in all taking buses on anything but a short journey up from the rail station to a hilltown in Italy is not for the faint-of-heart; most bus stations are just a signpost and not staffed, the bus driver typically won't speak English, etc.

The good news is that buses have seats for people with various needs (pregnant women, elderly, people with mobility issues).

if you go to a restaurant would you rather pay for the same exact food?
A. $40 per person which includes 22% VAT and includes service charge
B. $60 per person plus 10% sales tax plus a separate 15% tip to the waiter (total=$75)

In spite of the VAT being 22% and higher than your sales tax at home, most things you buy there in Tuscany will be substantially cheaper than NYC.

You can choose to be taken to the cleaners by your government or to be taken to the cleaners even more by the business owners you do business with. Pick the thief you prefer to be robbed by.

If you plan other trips in the future be aware that the VAT rates are different in different countries. In Denmark it's 25%. But as mentioned you will never notice. The Vat - and all other taxes - are included in the displayed price.

I still remember the shock I had in New York when I had selected a book in a book shop, carefully counted the notes and coins to pay it with, and then was asked for a completely different - and much higher - amount.

l.p., I had reverse shock several times, here in the States. When traveling we're always stunned (pleasantly) when we by groceries. Here in the Sooner State, we charge sales tax on groceries. Many states around us do not, so it's always fun to pay $1 for an item marked $1.

And more on added taxes: In Tulsa, bars and restaurants in one part of town (downtown area) get to collect an additional "tourist tax" (that's not what they call it.) So we have the cost of the meal, plus added city, county, and state taxes PLUS the additional downtown development enhancement food and beverage tax. Oh, yes, plus the tip ...